Penang To Impose Water Conservation Surcharge

(Bernama) — The Penang government is to introduce a Water Conservation Surcharge (WCS) on Nov 1 as part of the effort to encourage wise water usage and curb water wastage.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Wednesday the state executive council had agreed that the rate of the WCS was 24 sen per cubic metre for water consumed over and above the allowance of 35 cubic metres (35,000 litres) per month.

“This allowance of 35 cubic metres will help reduce our daily water consumption from 286 litres per day per person to 233 litres,” he told reporters after chairing the meeting of the council, here.

He said the rate would be effective for consumption from Nov 1 and would be reflected in the consumers’ bill from Jan 1.

“Only those who use too much water will pay more for their water supply. If your household usage is reasonable, this surcharge will not affect you,” he said.

Lim, who is also the chairman of Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP), said about 70 per cent of domestic consumers in the state would not be affected by the implementation of the WCS.

“We believe only 30 per cent of domestic consumers have been identified as wasting water in excess of our targeted monthly allowance of 35 cubic metres,” he said.

He said among the objectives of WCS were to encourage Penangites to stop wasting water, ensure people did not waste water and promote a water-saving culture.

He also said that Penang’s water tariffs were amongst the lowest in Malaysia and Asean, and were last reviewed nine years ago.

“Since then, the cost of supplying water in Penang had increased by 64 per cent in tandem with increases in the costs of energy, fuel, chemicals and maintenance,” he said.

Currently, Penangites get water for about RM0.22 per litre, which was subsidised by the state government.

In 2009, a total of 395,388 domestic consumers enjoyed water subsidy that cost PBAPP about RM41 million.